Three bids, three wildly different numbers — and the instinct to pick the middle one and move on. Before you do, run them through this checker. Enter each bid's total and tick what the written bid explicitly includes. You'll see how far apart the numbers really are, and — more importantly — whether the cheap bid is cheap because it's efficient or because it quietly excludes work the others priced in.
Check a box only if the written bid explicitly includes that item. Silence is not inclusion — if the bid doesn't mention it, leave the box unchecked.
These seven checkboxes are the coarsest possible scope check — a real remodel breaks into dozens of scope lines per trade, and allowances hide as much money as exclusions do. Treat this result as the question, not the answer.
The spread tells you something is different. It can't tell you what — or what it costs.
The Bid Decoder Package includes the full Bid Comparison Workbook — a line-by-line scope grid that turns three different bids into one adjusted, apples-to-apples number — plus the allowance decoder, the 20 questions that expose a bid, and negotiation scripts that keep the good contractor on the job.
Get the Bid Decoder Package — $29 Instant download · Yours forever · All sales finalEducational information, not legal advice. Laws and practices vary by state and change over time; verify anything you intend to rely on, and consult a licensed professional in your state for advice about your specific situation.